Chapter 2 - Brenna
Running onto the Pediatric Ward, I flew past the nurse’s station where my work husband, Cody, looked up at me and just shook his head at me with a smile on his face. I entered the staff locker room and threw my purse and bag full of pregnancy tests in my locker before dashing back out to clock in. When I picked up my time card I noticed that I had already been signed in, obviously Cody had my back, again.
“Bitch, you are late again.” Cody said with a chuckle.
“I know, I know, it couldn’t be helped this time. I had to make a very important stop on my way in.”
Cody looked me up and down before responding. “Is there something you need to tell me? You look like shit and you have been late every day for a week, which is just not you.”
Damnit, some days it sucked ass to have friends who knew and loved you so bloody well. “As of right now, I have nothing to tell you. Ask me again after my break.”
With that I grabbed the first patient chart waiting for me and walked off, letting him stew on that. I knew he was going to be up my ass as soon as I got back to the nurses station so I needed to keep busy.
The first patient I was checking in on is a 5-year-old boy named Brandon who was in for his annual check up. He was born with an atrial septal defect, otherwise known as a hole in his heart and he came in every year for a full work up to make sure that the hole wasn’t getting any bigger. It wasn’t that uncommon and as long as we kept an eye on him he could live a long and productive life.
“Good morning Brandon, how are you doing today buddy?”
Brandon was watching a movie on his iPad while his mom, Ava, sat beside him reading from her Kindle. They were in here every year and so we had gotten to know each other well.
Ava put her Kindle down and reached over to tap Brandon on the shoulder. Like most kids I’d seen he had a tendency to get caught up in whatever he was watching and wouldn’t even respond to his name.
Brandon looked up from his iPad and when he saw me he got a giant smile on his face. It’s one of the best parts of my job. No matter how sick they were, kids almost always had a way of finding happiness in the world and anything I could do to help keep that happiness going, I would.
“Miss. Brenna, you’re here! I was waiting and waiting and waiting and you didn’t come. Momma said that you’d be here, but I was worried,” he said with a pout.
“Oh buddy, do you really think I’d miss my time with you? I love seeing you, so don’t you worry, nothing would have kept me away. How are you feeling bud?”
I could see Ava smiling off to the side and grabbing the iPad since Brandon was now bouncing up and down on his bed eager to tell me what is going on in his life.
“Well Miss Brenna, I started kindergarten this year and it is sooooo much fun. I gots all these new friends and I get to do art and the recess and oh so many things.”
“That’s great buddy. What’s your favourite part about kindergarten?”
While Brandon starting telling me all about his favourite thing to do in kindergarten, recess, I went over his vitals, taking his blood pressure, listening to his heart and lungs. By the time I was finished I could tell he was getting tired and so I told him that I would see him soon and he could tell me more about how much fun school was.
Ava picked up his iPad and gave it back to him and followed me out of the room. “Hey Brenna, how’s it going?”
“Oh you know Ava, it’s life, come to work, hang out with my friends when I can, do errands, and repeat. How about you? Sounds like it’s been an eventful year.”
The smile on Ava’s face said it all. She was a single mom who was working her ass off to raise her boy after her husband was killed in a car accident on his way home from work one night before Brandon was born. Even through all her hardships and Brandon’s medical problems, she loved her little boy and loved her life.
“Oh yeah, you heard my boy in there, everything is going great. He’s loving school and I’m happy he’s having such a great experience, but I still miss having him underfoot when I’m at home working. Enough about me though, how’s my boy doing?”
“Well he’s doing well as far as I can tell. He’s scheduled to have his blood work, ECG and echocardiogram tomorrow morning and the doctor will be in to go over those results before he is released for another year. His heart rate and blood pressure look good today and his heart sounds strong and his lungs clear.”
“Great, he’s been doing so well, but the closer we get to his annual check-up the more anxious I get. We’ve been good so far, but that doesn’t mean we will be every time. Thanks again for being so good with him.”
“Oh please, he’s a great kid. I should get on to my next patient, but Cody and I are on shift so just let us know if you need anything.”
I waved at Ava and continued doing my rounds, checking in on the different patients on the floor, making sure their vital signs were good and that they didn’t need anything.
When I made it back to the nurse’s station, Cody was sitting there waiting for me, giving me a look of expectancy. “Well, are you going to tell me what’s going on with you? You’re never this quiet.”
“I don’t even know how to say this Cody. I think I’m pregnant. I was late this morning because I was picking up pregnancy tests at the pharmacy. You know how it is around this place, there is no way in hell I’m taking a test at the lab, it will be all over the hospital before my shift is over.”
“Holy shit! Are you fucking with me right now? How in the world could you be pregnant? Are you seeing someone I don’t know about?”
I couldn’t even look Cody in the eye. I might talk a good game, but I wasn’t one of those girls who felt comfortable sleeping with a guy after seeing him for a month, let alone hours after meeting him. But, that’s exactly what I did, and I can’t even say I’m sorry I did it. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. You know Everly is dating Joker and they are hot and heavy. Before they hooked up officially, I met his best friend and we kind of hooked up.”
“Oh girl, look at you go. Okay, it’s time for you to take a break. Go take that test and….”
“Tests.”
“Pardon me?”
“Well, I’m kind of freaking out and I might have bought five tests.”
“Oh of course you did. Okay, you go take those tests and come back here as soon as you know the results and we will figure out your next step.”
I reached over and grabbed Cody into a hug, which was hard since I was barely over 5 feet tall and he was just over 6 feet, but he leaned down so that I could squeeze him tight. “Thank you.”